Lilly Ledbetter Act passes Senate

For a decade, Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, has been trying to pass a bill in Texas that would give women an opportunity to file an equal-pay lawsuit.

On the last night that the Texas Senate could hear House bills, House Bill 950, the Lilly Ledbetter Act, passed narrowly with a 17-14 vote.

“It’s like going into labor and the doctor says, ‘It’s time to make this delivery,'” said Thompson after her bill passed late Wednesday. “Women are always the last persons to get rights that other people have had for ages.”

If Gov. Rick Perry signs the bill, Texas will be one of 43 states to pass the act, which brings states into accordance with a United States Supreme Court decision that determines that the statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit begins at the date that the pay was agreed upon.

Thompson said that there was slim hope that the bill would pass this session. But today, Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, added an amendment to the proposal that allowed it to pass: it ensured that the act is not retroactive, but instead applies to complaints on or after the bill’s effective date.

“What is it about their party that makes them be afraid to further the rights of all people in society?” Thompson asked about Republicans. “It’s always been such a mystery to me. I don’t know why women have such a struggle in getting rights that other people have had for ages.”

She said she was proud that the bill finally passed the Senate – 10 years ago, it was voted down – especially for her two granddaughters. “I’ve always wanted to be the one to foster issues that affect women,” she said.